Hattifattener

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The Hattifatteners (the original Swedish name Hattifnattar, the Finnish name Hattivatit and the Japanese localization translated it as Nyoro Nyoro(ニョロニョロ)^[1]) are creatures in the Moomin books by Tove Jansson. Their main appearance is in the book Finn Family Moomintroll.

A Hattifattener

The Hattifatteners are tall, thin, ghost-like creatures, resembling long white socks. They have round neckless heads with two round eyes. Below their heads on either side are five finger-like projections. They are silent and serious, having neither the ability to talk nor to hear, but in contrast, their sense of feeling is extremely accurate, and they can sense even the most minor tremblings of the ground. They also seem to be melancholic characters. However despite physiologically resembling animals, Hattifatteners grow from seeds. Planting Hattifattener seeds where someone has taken up residence is an effective way to get rid of him/her.

Hattifatteners travel the sea in small boats, meeting every year on a lonely island. Their main interest is in the weather and they collectively own a barometer. They seem to have an interest in lightning storms, and such conditions electrify them making them give out a pale glow, and making them dangerous to touch.

The Hattifatteners are very serious and zealous about their barometer. In Finn Family Moomintroll, a Hemulen steals their barometer, and this caused them to relentlessly pursue him until they got it back.

Some think the Hattifatteners are wicked, but this is due to their strangeness. In the story The Secret of the Hattifatteners that appears in Tales from Moominvalley Moominpappa comes to understand the mysterious Hattifatteners and their strange attraction to lightning storms. Unusually for what is ostensibly a children's book the story deals with what appears to be Moominpappa's mid-life crisis. His quest to seek out and understand the mysterious Hattifatteners is his search for a deeper meaning in life.

[edit] Other uses

The Hattifatteners provide the name and inspiration for an experimental rock side project of members of the band God Is My Co-Pilot (As the small white creatures warning, "we're not as cute as we look.") They released one album, Rabbit Rabbit, released on Dark Beloved Cloud.

The 2006 album 'Have You Seen the Other Side of the Sky?' by Japanese psychedelic band Acid Mothers Temple opens with a track titled Attack from Planet Hattifatteners.

[edit] References

^ www.sekiguchi.co.jp, Nyoro Nyoro stuff toy

v • d • e The Moomin Series by Tove Jansson

Authors	Tove Jansson • Lars Jansson

Books	The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945) • Comet in Moominland (1946) • Finn Family Moomintroll (1948) • The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950) • Moominsummer Madness (1954) • Moominland Midwinter (1957) • Tales from Moominvalley (1962) • Moominpappa at Sea (1965) • Moominvalley in November (1970)

Picture books & Comics	The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My (1952) • Who Will Comfort Toffle? (1960) • The Dangerous Journey (1977) • An Unwanted Guest (1980) • Moomin comic strips (1954-1975)

Characters	Moomintroll • Moominmamma • Moominpappa • Sniff • Snufkin • Little My • The Hemulen • The Groke • Hattifatteners • The Snork Maiden

Television	Die Muminfamilie (1959-61) • Mumintrollet (1969) • Tove Jasson no Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka (1969-70) • Shin Muumin (1972) • Mumi-troll (1978) • The Moomins (1979-82) • Shlyapa Volshebnika (1980-83) • Moomin (1990-91) • Tanoshii Moomin Ikka: Bōken Nikki (1991-92)

Film	Tanoshii Moomin Ikka: Muumindani no Suisei (1992)

Other	Moomin World • Moomin Museum • The Summer Book (1972) • A Winter Book (1968-96) • Fair Play (1989)